Dehydrating

 I have not only been canning but I have started dehydrating as well.  My Skippy Man gave me a COSORI dehydrator for Christmas and I LOVE IT! So far I only have corn, green beans and onions.  I love being able to have things on hand when needed. Not only will these last a good while in the pantry they are very easy to throw right into a pot of soup if needed.  We don't have very much freezer space so canning and dehydrating are the way I can take advantage of great sales at the grocery store.

These were all frozen veggies and were able to go right into the dehydrator at 120*F for 8 hours.  There is no need to blanch them since that process was already done prior to freezing.

Do you dehydrate?  Which machine do you have?

Canning Potatoes

Skippy had gotten a 50 lb bag of potatoes on sale over at Jon Henry General Store a few weeks ago. I have been intermittently putting them up and using them for meals. Today we are finishing up the canning process.   

Because potatoes are low-acid, they can't be processed in a water bath like pickles, jams or other canning projects with sufficient acidity.  I processed 5 quarts of potatoes at 10 lbs of pressure for 40 minutes.  

I will be "attempting" to dehydrate the remaining potoatoes for chips and scalloped potatoes. I say attempting because I have never tried it before. A dear friend blessed me with one of her dehydrators and My Skippy Man blessed me with one for Christmas.  I am also going to make potato flakes as well, which will be great to take with us camping.  They will take up much less space and will weigh less than bringing a 5 or 10 lb bag.   

I am looking forward to having fun over the next few weeks dehydrating meats and veggies and also making jerky and fruit powders.   

How many of you have a dehydrator?  What's your favorite fruit/veggie/meat to dehydrate?

CANNING FYI

DO NOT put your lids on too tight. The air cannot easily escape so it forces its way out,
deforming or "buckling" the lid.
Lesson learned! ☹

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season to be canning (and canning...and baking...and freezing...and canning) 

fa la la la laaaaa la la la la!! 

Still canning!

Sweet Pickle Relish

Yesterday, G-Girl came over for a coffee and canning date. Well, we started out at my house but we ended up at hers. Hey, haven't you ever heard of progressive canning? lol

We had a great time not only canning, but just catching up on what's been going on with each other. Bean even made us a broccoli and fetta fritata that was YUMMY!! (recipe and pics to come)

During our day we made 7 - 1/2 pint jars of jelly (recipe to follow) and 7 1/2 pints of relish using a recipe I got from "New Life On A Homestead" that I just HAD to try! We love relish and I use it for more than just on hot dogs. It is especially wonderful in my brown sugar sloppy joes or in chicken or tuna salad! Mmmm!

I doubled this recipe but instead of using 4 heads of celery, I only used 2.

For this sweet pickle relish recipe, you will need:

6-7 large unpeeled cucumbers (about 4 cups), diced
2 medium green bell peppers (about 1 1/2 cups), diced
2 heads celery (about 3 cups), diced
1/4 cup salt
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seed

In a food processor, finely chop the cucumbers, peppers, and celery, being careful not to grind them into puree. Pour the veggies into a large bowl and add your salt. Cover with water and let stand out of the way for about 5 hours.

After you have let them sit for the desired time, drain well, pressing the mixture to remove all the liquid. This part takes a little while, but be patient....you will love the results!

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Be careful not to take to deep a breath over the pot, the vinegar smell will get strong for a little bit. Continue stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved. Add the vegetable mixture to the saucepan, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pack into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space, always remembering to clean the rim of each jar to remove any relish that may prevent the jars from sealing properly. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.